Xenoblade Chronicles
Xenoblade Chronicles, known as Xenoblade in Japan, is a role-playing game developed by Monolith Soft and published by Nintendo. Xenoblade was originally named Monado: Beginning of the World, but was eventually renamed. The game has been released in Japan, Europe, and Australia with a North American release confirmed for early April 2012.Nintendo of America http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/09LPao0thCWTobgndPH5UTuz4zsz63F4 Gameplay Xenoblade Chronicles has an action-based battle system where normal attacks will happen automatically at intervals, similar to the set up in Final Fantasy XII. However, special attacks known as arts each have their own cool down time as opposed to being on a continuous time queue with normal attacks and are performed manually by the player. Arts for each character have to be set on a "battle palette" at the bottom of the screen, which can be modified outside of battle. Movement of the character in play also needs to be executed manually with the analog stick, however this only plays an integral role when using Shulk's arts as they are more effective if used from the side or behind. Xenoblade also has the "Visions" system, where Shulk can see glimpses of the future, and the player has to try to react or prevent it from happening. The game is known to have a number of features labeled as "Time Saving Support Features". For instance, while the game will have a day and night time cycle, players can "wind the clock" to the time they want to go to, rather than just letting time elapse. Additionally, while the game is about exploration, many warp points will be added to aid in traversing the land. The game will also sport a "save anywhere" feature, a feature relatively rare among the console RPG genre. Another of the game's systems is the "bonds system", in which characters can partake in many optional sidequests with non-player characters. Completing such quests can alter perception of the character in the towns, and open up additional story sequences. The game will also have extensive customization, such as being able to change the character's outfits, and having those changes be seen in battle, field, and even event scenes. North American Localization In an interview on the French television station Nolife, Mathieu Minel, the marketing manager of Nintendo France, stated that Nintendo of Europe was unable to show Xenoblade Chronicles at Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011. Nintendo of America denied it since they are not planning to sell the product locally. In response, on June 22, 2011, users on IGNBoards have started a campaign called "Operation Rainfall" that hopes to persuade Nintendo of America to localize Xenoblade Chronicles, along with the Japan-only Wii titles The Last Story and Pandora's Tower. Fans are encouraged to write letters to Nintendo headquarters as well as pre-ordering the game on Amazon, listed under its original title Monado: Beginning of the World. On June 25, 2011, it became the #1 best-selling game on Amazon.com, and stayed in that position for over a day.June 26, 2011 - IGN.com United Nintendo Fans Push "Monado" to Amazon's #1 Bestseller On July 7, the "Operation Rainfall" website reported a rumor that the North American localization of Xenoblade Chronicles was finished and The Last Story was in progress, but this has not been officially confirmed. June 27, 2011 – IGN.com Nintendo Fans Campaign for Missing Wii Games In December 2011, Nintendo updated their Facebook account with pictures of characters from ''Xenoblade Chronicles''December 2, 2011 – Facebook.com http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.197809840303477.48991.119240841493711&type=1 and later posted a wall post that stated the confirmation of the game to be released in 2012.December 2, 2011 – Facebook.com Homs, Mechons & The Monado Blade The game will be a GameStop exclusive and according to a report will be available on April 2, 2011 in GameStop stores.December 2, 2011 – 1UP.com Xenoblade Chronicles Confirmed for North America The official online Nintendo store, ShopNintendo, will also provide the game with preorders starting December 19, 2011.ShopNintendo http://store.nintendo.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Xenoblade?storeId=10001 References Category:Games released on the Wii Category:Games by Monolith Soft